Tag: pitbulls

Hello everyone – Happy Bulldogs are Beautiful Day!
We LOVE our bullies here at Emerald City Pet Rescue, and we have some amazing bulldogs and bulldog mixes available for adoption right here in Seattle!

A great walker, this adorable little guy is very protective of his food and treats, so don’t plan on sharing with him until you’ve helped him refine his manners through training which would be a great benefit to him.

Marco would love a home with an adopter who is experienced with his breed, and needs to be the only animal in the home. However, we are sure Marco has more than enough companionship, affection, and love to fill any home to capacity! What a great guy!!

SUPERHERO and SUPERCUTE, have you met Lois Lane? She is a 3 year old American Bulldog looking for a very special forever home.

This very sweet, smiley, boisterous gal loves to play and throw her weight around, so must go to a household with no small children (as she may knock them right on over in a fit of joy!) or dogs smaller than ~40 lbs. She is a LOVER though, and she gets so excited to see you that her entire body wiggles like crazy!

Lois is looking for an adopter who is willing to continue her manners training and to work on her leash walking skills. Her dream home would be fairly active and up for fun and games (though Lois also loves to cuddle and lounge around!) with experienced adopters of larger breed dogs. Lois wouldn’t mind another well-behaved, large canine sibling to hang out with either. Lois would like a home with no cats, critters or small dogs. Lois is a staff favorite and deserves the best home…is it yours?

Meet Rennie! This handsome 6 year old Terrier mix came to us with a heartbreaking story, having been dumped in a California shelter where he was so scared that he rapidly lost weight due to stress and fear. Since then, Rennie has come such a long way, in part due to the help from various rescue groups and fosters who would not give up on him! However, Rennie does seem a bit stressed in the rescue environment and he could REALLY use a foster home or a forever family to help him rebuild his confidence and remember how wonderful it is to be loved by humans again – and he will love you tenfold in return!

Agile, playful and affectionate, Rennie is a big fan of walks and edible chew toys. He would make a great companion for someone with an active lifestyle. Though Rennie is not fond of crating or kenneling, he is great with other large dogs his size that can give him clear social cues, as he is still learning the ropes. Because Rennie is extremely curious and active, a fully fenced and completely secure yard is required for his safety.

Are any of these WONDERFUL bulldogs pulling on your heartstrings? Give us a call at 206 557 4661 to find out more about adoption!

It’s easy and typical for all of us who work in rescue to fall in love with the animals that come through our doors. Each and every one of them has a story and a unique personality all their own. Even still, there are always those few who touch our souls just a bit more than others, not because they’re better or more worthy but because there’s something in them or about them that relates so much to our own life and experiences, or teaches us an amazing and inspirational lesson at just the precise moment that we needed to learn it. Animals have a capacity for love that I can’t even comprehend. They inspire me, they give me hope, they have the openness and bravery to make connections with those around them that go beyond words, speech, even language itself.

Today was one of those amazing days in the rescue world, a day where a dog incredible beyond words, a dog who has touched the hearts of literally every single person who works or volunteers at ECPR, took that last car ride away from the rescue so she could be dropped off at her forever home.

Sweetie Pie may not be able to communicate with us humans the way we communicate with each other but she told us her story when she first arrived at the rescue in every other way. Sweetie was found as a “stray.” She had bite marks and scars all over her head and face, and still carried milk for puppies we never had the chance to see, meet or save. It was clear that wherever Sweetie came from, she suffered abuse that I can’t even stomach. I’m tearing up writing this and I’m pausing to wipe at my eyes because the thought of anyone mistreating that dog literally rips me apart inside. I have seen her strength and she has inspired me every single day since I met her.

Sweetie Pie has essentially lived in my office for several weeks. Every morning when I come in, she would get up from her bed and look up at me with a little grunt before glancing down at her bone. Her request was obvious; “Kick or throw it, please!” We would do this periodically throughout the entire day back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.. I would scratch her ears and she would close her eyes and relax into my touch. She would stand still with that enthusiastic pittie tail wagging back and forth as I scratched her back and her tushy. Sweetie is kind, wise, but with the playfulness of an innocent puppy who has never experienced a moment of cruelty and pain. But we know that’s not true.

In addition to the condition Sweetie came to us in, she has had to undergo ACL surgeries as well as treatment for her mammary tumors and spindle cell tumors. For a dog with such a high level of passion for playing, I can’t imagine how she endured the mandatory bed rest required for her legs to heal or the throwing up and weakness from her other surgeries and treatments, but no matter how hard she struggled with her physical challenges, Sweetie never let it get her down. Her enthusiasm and love for people is immeasurable. Her gentle nature as one-year-olds climbed all over her at an ECPR event was like witnessing a miracle because that was not a “dog” gently nudging the human child, but a conscious, aware living soul.

Last week Sweetie had a meet and greet. Her new daddy immediately got on the ground to meet her at her level and it was instant love for the both of them. Today we all gathered one by one for our last chance at photo ops with this courageous girl and said goodbye to her for the last time as she moved on from a rescue dog searching for her forever home to a deserving, beautiful healthy pittie getting a promise that from that moment on, she would have a forever home and family to love her for the rest of her days.

Sweetie will never be forgotten by a single one of us. She is our mascot, our inspiration, the dog we hope every other dog that comes through our doors can be inspired by in order to find the strength to rise above their pasts. Sweetie may have left our lives, but her pawprints will remain on our hearts forever.

“The first time Sweetie Pie gave me a big sloppy kiss I was so honored! I’ll miss her sweet face, her soulful eyes, and her nudge with her nose to get me to toss her toy. Good luck, Sweetie Pie. You deserve only the best!” -Mimi

“My dog, who hates every dog in the world, only ever liked one dog, and that was Sweetie Pie. Such a testament to what an amazing girl she is, to have endured what she went through and still have such a capacity for love. Not just a kennel favorite, but a front desk favorite… an office favorite… a RESCUE favorite. <3” -Chandra

“Sweetie Pie has always had this amazing glow of optimism. Even though her mysterious past that lead her to us and pnety of scars to show for it had us all wondering… “What has this girl been through?” Multiple surgeries, biopsies and long months of recovery later she continues to shine even brighter. Through every bit of it, she has always been happy to say hello to a new friend. She’s been an inspiration to keep pushing through the rough times because there is always something to smile about! Thank you Sweetie Pie for showing us how important it is to let go of the past and just focus on that bone! <3″ -Erica

“By far one of the most wonderful dogs to come through emerald city. She was just waiting for those perfect adopters to see how amazing she is!” -Erin

Some High Schools have cliques while others are more lax and less socially segregated. The media loves to exaggerate the idea of cliques, and “cult classics” often either emphasize the humor within said social standings or use them to try and show us that there is more to life than who gets voted Prom Queen.

Although the specific social dynamics of the playroom here at ECPR are forever changing depending on the particular dogs we have at any given time, there is a constant I have come to observe lately that I have found quite interesting!

I have a four year old chorkie (Chihuahua/yorkie mix) who, although she is a rescue, was rescued before ECPR. Still, she comes to work with me every day and this spoiled little Princess who answers to the name of Lily Lou Who has a bed on my desk, and also gets to spend time in the playroom socializing with the other dogs.

The very moment I set Lily down in the playroom, the other dogs swarm her with focused interest and awe. This is not because she is new (although she is new to the new dogs, she tends to spend a little bit of time in the playroom daily so the dogs that have been here for a while are very familiar with her) but rather, because –well to be honest, I’m not sure what it is! Maybe it’s her fancy wardrobe (don’t tell her that I purchase her outfits on amazon.com for $5 bucks a piece, she thinks they are from Prada) or maybe it’s her shining diamond collar (don’t tell her the shiny things are fake and that the collar only cost $3.50, she thinks it is from Tiffany’s.) I briefly considered the other dogs might view Lily as special because she has already found her fur-ever home, but so has Pixie (who belongs to kennel attendant Jayme), Athena (who belongs to kennel attendant Bethany), and SoHo (who belongs to kennel supervisor Erica) and the other dogs don’t fawn over them like they do with Lily. Don’t get me wrong, they’re wonderful, loved dogs, but for some reason Lily’s presence in the playroom causes her to be the center of curious attention.

Lily is graceful about her epic popularity. She does walk around the playroom holding her tail up while prancing lightly on her delicate feet, but she is patient with her worshippers, rarely snapping or growling at them and accepting their invitations to play with a joyful, gracious spirit. Perhaps her always optimistic and kind attitude is the very thing that attracts the other dogs to her.

I don’t feel I can take credit for what a good dog Lily is, her personality would be fabulous with or without me but I do feel proud of her when she sets a good example for the other dogs. At home, she loves the seven foster kitties I am currently caring for and when I let them run around my living room, she gently herds them, cleans them, and cuddles with them. Every person she meets is potentially her new best friend. Every dog or cat she meets must be greeted with a sniff and a hopeful wag of her tail. In fact, Lily’s tail never stops wagging.

Lily’s confidence and happy-go-lucky trust in others is the type of happiness that we wish for all of the dogs that come through ECPR. Some of them have been through hard times, and in their life journeys, things have happened that have caused them to fear certain situations. Although I always get a kick out of watching the dogs surround Lily with piqued interest, as I watch Lily interact with them, I’m glad she is so happy to socialize with them and show them that making new friends is something to look forward to and not something to fear. As sappy as it is, I’m proud of my little Princess.

Lily’s popularity is exactly as popularity should be; an inspiration rather than a fear, loved by all because of her universal kindness and not because she entices anyone to fear her. I truly believe that every single dog that comes through ECPR has the potential to be just as wonderful and loving as Lily, and watching them slowly come out of their shells and learn to wag their tails with excitement when a new person enters the playroom is like watching a caterpillar turn into a butterfly. That’s part of what I love most about ECPR, the kennel staff’s amazing ability to bring out the best in every single pet that comes through our doors. For the pets, ECPR is just one stop in their long life journey, but we truly strive to be the stop right before they reach their happily ever after. If you’re looking for furry love, set up a meet and greet with one of our sweet-as-pie four-legged friends today! 206 557 4661

One of the best (and the worst) things about working for a rescue is that it’s impossible not to fall in love with the animals. Some of us employees get the adoption bug when it’s a good time for us to adopt, sometimes we just fall in love with a particular animal and we know we have to welcome them into our home, and other times we try to help out by fostering, and then we soon realize that our fostered pet has become a part of our family and we can’t let them go. Today, I wanted to talk about a few of the pets that have come through ECPR that have been lucky enough to become employee adoptees.

A few months ago, when we started getting a lot of kittens, I was asked to foster two of them until they were old enough for vaccinations and could then be available for adoption. Naturally I fell in love with them as soon as I had them at home! I tried to be “responsible” and when it was time for the kitties to get their shots, the most laid-back kitty went up for adoption. But his precious, quirky, silly brother… well, let’s just say I wake up in the mornings when his furry little head and damp little nose rubbing against my cheek because he wants his breakfast! He is what we refer to here at ECPR as a “foster fail.”

Am I the only employee to have a “foster fail?” Heck no! Brandon and Erica (our events coordinator and our kennel lead) have an adorable chi/Tibetan spaniel mix named SoHo that they fostered from ECPR and ended up adopting. Our kennel attendant Bethany recently adopted a deaf mini Australian shepherd named Athena from here, another kennel attendant Jayme adopted a Chihuahua from here named Pixie, and yet another kennel attendant from here, Lucy, adopted our precious Tanner, the doxie who is paralyzed from his waist down but does not let that stop him one bit. He rolls around in a wheelchair like it’s nothing!

Today, Athena is visiting the facility (as our “foster fail” pets often do) and she is burning off some of her puppy energy playing with the other puppies. At least she will be tuckered out by the time Bethany brings her home!

Tanner often comes by and shows the other dogs how courageous and fun-loving he is by keeping up with them despite his disability, and Pixie often tags along with Jayme when she comes to work.

Up at reception, our admin Chandra hangs out with her Chihuahua Quirty, also from here. Quirty “guards” the front area!

My chorkie, Lily Lou, although not adopted from here accompanies me to work every day and curls up on her pink bed on my desk, or runs around the playroom trying to keep up with the other dogs. Every morning, she dances around on her hind legs waiting for me to clip her leash on because she knows she is coming here and she loves it!

It’s an amazing gift to be able to work with people who love animals as much as I do, but it’s equally as incredible to know that while we’re here giving ECPR our all, the very nature of rescue gives back to us in so many ways including but not limited to the wonderful animals that first entered our homes for a place to stay, and then stayed in our houses for a place to call home. We all consider our wonderful pets to be a part of our families, and at ECPR, every day is “Bring your dog to work day.” We all give our hearts to the cause of rescue, but rescue gives double the joy back to us. I’m sure our adopters feel the same way. Nothing beats the unconditional love of a rescue pet. They know you chose them, and every time they look at you, you can see the gratitude and love in their eyes. Every time I glimpse it, it warms my heart.

Our Kennel Employees are Rockstars I often refer to our kennel staff as “amazing” but I haven’t yet taken the time to explain just how amazing they truly are and why. Today, I thought I would take the time to highlight the incredible never-ending workload they have and how incredible it is that they manage to keep up with it.

Taking care of animals in general is a task that never ends. (I tend to hear the same thing about raising human children, hah.) Imagine having 25 or so dogs to take care of each and every day. Imagine arriving early in the morning to this many dogs waking up in their kennels, needing to potty, wanting breakfast, and almost exploding with “Fresh from a good night’s sleep” energy to expel. Some dogs may have messed their kennels (especially the puppies, and as I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, we have a LOT of those right now!) and those kennels need to be thoroughly cleaned, blankets washed, entire insides sanitized, etc.

Not all 25+ dogs will be on the same diet, which means preparing their breakfasts is a lot more than just pouring kibble into bowl after bowl after bowl. Our staff has to pay attention to not just the special diets, but to how much of what kind of food each dog is getting. They have to notice if each dog is gaining or losing weight in order to adjust their diets, both food and intake. They can’t just let the 25+ dogs loose to do their business, they have to be able to notice if a dog has irregular stool because its very important for all of our animals to be healthy when spending so much time in close proximity to all of the other dogs. And this is just the MORNING!

Once all of the dogs (and cats!) breakfasts have been consumed, once they have had the opportunity to relieve themselves and we are assured everyone is having a healthy morning and once all the kennels are clean, its enrichment time. The dogs get to spend the morning in their playroom, and the cats are released into their special room to explore and play as well. Playtime isn’t just for leisure! Through positive reinforcement following the training style of Sophia Yin, the dogs learn proper social skills both among other dogs as well as with humans which is incredibly important for their confidence and adoptability. Some of our dogs come from sad backgrounds and have behavioral issues, and our staff has to work hard to earn their trust and give them the chance to become the amazing dogs we know they are. Our staff isn’t just in the playroom to make sure everyone is safe and happy, they are subtly training, providing learning experiences with the dogs and cats, and improving their quality of life every step of the way.

Around 1PM, lunchtime starts! Not every dog gets a midday meal, but the ones who need it are provided it and everyone else gets an afternoon nap in their kennel. While they’re snoozing, our staff is busy cleaning and mopping the playroom, exchanging observations about the dogs morning interactions, and formulating a plan for the rest of the evening. The dogs are released into the playroom once more after everything has been cleaned, and again the staff has to watch them carefully to ensure their health and happiness as well as working with them on consistent cues to improve their manners. We also strive to give each dog two walks per day, which is just one more thing to add to the pile of amazing things our kennel staff does. Did I mention each dog gets bathed weekly as well? Whew, they work HARD! I don’t want to forget to highlight the cats as well! Although cats are more “independent” than dogs, daily interaction with our staff is still very important for their confidence level and manners to improve adoptability.

Dinner time arrives around 6PM and yet again, special diets need to be adhered to, feeding amounts need to be followed, and eating habits need to be monitored. Is someone not finishing their meals? Is someone scarfing them down and still acting as if they are hungry? These things are important!

More playtime and enrichment in the playroom follows all the way until 9PM at night when everything is thoroughly cleaned, sanitized, and the dogs and cats get to settle in for a good night’s sleep.

Whew, that made me exhausted just writing about it, imagine doing that day in and day out, but they do it! ECPR is so thankful to have such a great team in Kennel and we know the dogs and cats are, too. We are lucky to have such a compassionate, animal-loving, dedicated team. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.

And that my friends is only a basic rough draft of an average day in kennel! Once again.. our kennel employees are ROCKSTARS!

With so many puppies everywhere (have you noticed a theme in this weeks blogs? Haha!) our amazing kennel staff has devised a clever way to keep all of the dogs a bit more on track. In the playroom, there is now a fenced divider so the puppies have their space to romp around and be puppies, and the adult dogs can have a bit of a calmer, slightly less exuberant environment. This is definitely the dog-version of how we have been handling our abundance of kittens, where they get some time in the playroom and then later on the adults get their own time as well. Here at ECPR, we strive to keep everyone as healthy and happy as possible and no matter how creative we have to get in order to ensure the quality of life of these animals while they are in our care, we are happy to do it!

Along with so many intakes, we have had an abundant number of adoptions so far this week and we couldn’t be happier about it! Making the choice to welcome a rescue animal into your home and to invite them to be a part of your family is a gift that your new pet will appreciate for the rest of his or her long, happy life. Some of these sweet faces have been through unfortunate times, and to be loved and saved by a person or by a group of people is truly the pot of gold at the end of their rainbow.

Our wonderful pittie rescue, Sweetie Pie, is back in the building after her leg surgery! She is resting comfortably on her bed in reception being loved on all by every single staff member here (we all adore her so much!) and we are confident she will heal up like a champ and be back to her playful self in no time. She is still looking for her forever family, and anyone who does decide to adopt that wonderful dog will be getting a best friend for life who will brighten up their day with her always-positive spirit and her wonderful sense of adventure. If you’re interested in making this dog-safe, kid-safe little angel a part of your family, give us a call at 206 557 4661 to set up a meet and greet!

We are all pretty worn out (pets and staff alike!) from all of the kitten and puppy play, so we’re all looking forward to sinking into our pillows and getting a good night’s sleep, only to get up in the morning and do it all over again because none of us would have it any other way. We love what we do, and we appreciate all of the generosity and support ECPR has received since we have existed. To be able to come together for such a wonderful purpose and see so many animals getting their well-deserved happily-ever-after’s is the gift that keeps on giving. That’s why our motto is Love can save lives.

A lot of exciting new ECPR dogs joined our pack today! I can’t wait to get to know the newbies so I can share their stories and photos with you all, but in the meantime I thought I would take today to discuss what it’s like in a pack environment, as well as highlight some of the methods we have found to be successful when assimilating dogs into the playroom with dogs that have been here a while. Being a rescue, we have a “larger pack” than someone with a few dogs inside of their home, but even as many as two dogs can behave as a pack behaves, and when getting a new dog and assimilating them into your family, we hope our discoveries and methods will be helpful to you as well.

We are so thankful to have the amazing facility that we do here at ECPR (shout-out to our awesome founder, Vivian Goldbloom who designed the whole place!) and one of our favorite aspects of how we have designed the rescue is the large playroom that our dogs get to spend most of their day romping around in. They are always in the presence of our amazing kennel staff and volunteers, and they spend their days playing, learning manners, and for some of them, just getting comfortable around people again and learning that humans can be kind and trustworthy. We want them to view interacting with people as an exciting and positive daily adventure! Some of our dogs are dominant in nature. They like to “rule” over the others. They show this desire by humping, but ‘putting other dogs in their place’ i.e. cornering them, snipping at them, etc but once they feel that dog knows who is boss, all is well! Dogs who are submissive in nature or just not used to such a large group dynamic tend to be shier; they gravitate away from the crowd, they submit when a dominant dog displays the above behaviors, etc. Sometimes, our “pack” dynamic is very calm in general, and other times, very rowdy. Right now with so many puppies, it’s pretty safe to say that our kennel staff is working their butts off to keep all of the animals clean, safe, and happy! So how do we assimilate new dogs into the “pack”? When everyone is out of the playroom and in their kennels for their midday naps, and for some of them who need the extra meal, lunch, after we mop and clean their play area, the very first dogs we let out are the newbies. We give them some time to run around their new environment, to smell all the smells of the other dogs before actually meeting them, and to generally have time to explore and prepare for what comes next. Then, one by one, we begin letting the others dogs back out. We begin with the calmer, more social dogs who have shown in the past that they are welcoming toward newbies, and that way, by the time we let out the more dominant dogs, they see that other pack members have already accepted the newbies and it makes their willingness to accept them that much more likely.

Of course, assimilation is a process and here at ECPR it is ongoing because the more dogs we are able to adopt, the more we are able to bring in! Sometimes dogs don’t always get along, but we do our best to make sure that everyone is safe, healthy, and as happy as can be. Today, the new dogs did wonderfully! It’s such an amazing thing for us to be able to see dogs who are new to the building enjoying being here even on their first or second day because that makes us feel like we are doing something right. A happy dog is an adoptable dog, and the more comfortable they are here, the more comfortable they will be in meet and greets and it’s so important for potential adopters to be able to see a dog’s personality really shine. At ECPR, when a dog walks into a meet and greet with a wagging tail and an excited bounce in his or her step, we know that soon, they will find that perfect forever home.